Improvement in prison-locks



. 2 sheets-sheet 1.. H. R. TOWNE 8c T. F. KEATING.

Prison Look.

' Ne. 200,156. Patented Feb. 12,1878.

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No. 200,156. Patented Feb. 12,1878.

.PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WSHlNGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

HENRY R. TowNE AND THOMAs E. HEATING, OE sTAMFoRD, CONNECTICUT, AssIGNoRs To THE YALE LOCK MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF sAME PLACE,

IM PROVEM ENT IN PRISON-LOCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 200,156, dated February 12, 1878; application filed November 12, 1877. l i

perience has usually pronounced in favor of c wrought-metal locks as safer-because not so readily broken by heavy blows-than castmetal locks. Such locks are, however, expensive to manufacture and repair, and, while they may not readily be broken, they can readily be indented, bent, and deranged, so as to require 'replacin g or repairing, and thus loss and inconvenience are frequently occasioned in public prisons.

In view of these difculties and objections we propose to employ cast-metal locks, and to secure them in the grating, and shield them there in such a way as to gain all of the advantages of wrought-metal locks, and at the same time to do away, in a very large measure, if not entirely, with their disadvantages, thus compassing all of the present economy of manufacture and capacity of resistance to impact incident to both species of locks, and attaining a degree of safety and durability superior to that arising heretofore from either.

We propose, furthermore, to Vprovide a convenient and instantaneous means of locking, to be applied to the lock-bolt in such a manner as to operate it by mere touch without the use of a key, and also to serve as a notice or tell-tale to warn prison officials when the lock is unlocked.

To increase the security of prison-locks, as thus indicated, our improvements consist in two principal features: First, a spider or open frame-work of metal formed around the lockcase and projecting from it, somewhat like spokes from the hub of a wheel, to f1ll the openin g through the grating in which the lock is located; second, a supplemental wroughtmetal shield or casing for the lock, covering it and the spider, front and back, at all exposed points.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in aid of a more minute description of our improvements, Figure lis a side elevation of our improved lock, with one of the wroughtiron side or guard plates removed to show more clearly the cast-iron lock-case and spider-frame beneath it. Fig.v 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line l 1 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4. is a perspective view in vertical section, showing the spring stop or trip and its details more clearly; and Fig. 5 shows amodification of the spring stop or trip.

A indicates a section of a grated prisondoor, having a suitable opening formed between its right-angul ar grate-bars for the reception of a lock. This opening is made purposely largerthan the lock-case, in order to accommodate its surrounding frame work. However, as the usual method of making this opening is to out away a portion of one or more of the vertical grate-bars, it frequently happens that it becomes unavoidably larger than necessary to accommodate a lock-case of reasonable size. Hence, as the frame-work can readily be cast of any desired dimensions, its use, in addition to its other advantages, obviates the necessity of making the lockcases unnecessarily large.

B indicates the lock-case proper, of a size just suificient to contain the bolt and tumblers. C indicates the surrounding spider or framework, which maybe cast with the lock-case or separately, and which is provided with a vertical groove, b, on one side, to receive one of the vertical grate-bars and aid in holding the lock in place, while the lock-bolt, passing through the door-frame, serves a like purpose on the opposite side. b indicates boltholes passing through the spider to receive the bolts of the heavy wrought-metal guardplates D D, which not only cover the lock and its frame, but project partly over and rest upon the door-frame and horizontal grate-bars.

It will be observed that the spiderarms are beveled alike on the front and back, and the of contact being onpthe margin of the frainey work and 4on the door-frame and horizontalf grate-bars, Vas above stated.'

This plan of construction enables the opening inthe door to be conveniently closed with a minimum of material, and affords excellent Y ineans of securing the lock in position, and in f the event of violence being attempted the elasticity of the wrought-metal plates constituting the supplemental casing enables thein to resist heavy blows without transmitting their force to the internal lock-case.V If, however, such blows should becontinued until the external plates become much indented, the latter will conie in contact with the internal caseV and its surrounding ribs, and be re-enforced without greatly endangering the lock.

E indicates a plunger projectingiroin the top of the lock-casefar enough, when elevated, to be visible at somedistance, and workingbyineans of a spring, F, in a barrel, G. rIhe lower end of this plunger is notched or cut awayvon both sides, as shown at e, Figs. 2, 3, and 4, and works up and down in a slot, H, the outer end of which is vwider than the inner end, iii a iiange on the lock-bolt. Y

The inode of operation of these parts is as follows: VThe spring of the lock, ity should be noted, always tends to throw it forward into Vtlieilocked position, where its tnmblers ,will

always dead-lock it, and the plunger-spiing always tends to keep the plunger elevated. The plunger can only be elevated, however, when the lock-bolt is retracted, because it is only when in that position that the wide or enlarged end of its plunger-slot will be in position to permit the plunger .to rise, the relations ofthe parts being such that when the lock-bolt isynot fully retracted the shoulder on Y the plunger formed by theV cutting away will strike against and underneathone side oi' the slot; but when the lock-bolt has been retracted the enlarged end of the slot will be in coincidence with the .plunger and it will spring After this its extreme end not thinned or cut away will be in theslot, aiid,.being too large to enter the narrow part of the slot,will` stop the bolt in the unlocked position, so that p not even Vthe key will lock it. Y In this condition, which the protrusion of the top of the plunger willindicate, it is only necessary to Y press down the plunger by hand to bring the cut-away part into the slot, when the bolt will Vinstantly spring into the locked position.

Fig. 5V illustrates another forni of trip, which Y may, in like manner, be combined with the lock-bolt andV serve the saine purpose. ln this example we attach arspringcatch, I, to the plunger, to engage in a notch, t', in the lock- `which shield and protect it, substantially asY described. o

Y' In testimony whereof we have hereunto siib- .scribed our naines. Y f

HENRY R. TOWNE. THOMAS F. KEATING. Y Witnesses:

(l. E. VAIL, ELI/ is D. OGDEN, Jr. 

